For The Love Of A Woman
by dawn341
Summary: 'Future' story. After 7 years, Richie has come out of hiding and returned to Seacouver. Can Methos and Joe figure out what really happened between Richie and Duncan? Can they help these two Immortals become friends again?


For The Love Of A Woman - by Dawn Cunningham

Standard disclaimers apply. Duncan, Richie, Joe, Methos, Amanda and most other characters belong to Rysher. I'm only borrowing them for a while. Elspeth is a figment of my imagination.

Believe it or not, this is not a first season story, like most of my previous ones. It takes place approximately 7 years in the future. There are mild spoilers to 5th season episodes up through Ransoming Of Richard Redstone. Any subsequent episodes will be ignored in my alternate timeline.

I wrote this story many years ago.

* HL * HL * HL * HL * HL * HL * HL * HL * HL * HL

For The Love Of A Woman by Dawn Cunningham

September 17, 2004.

Richie Ryan pulled off the side of the road and killed the engine on his motorcycle. He had been riding almost non-stop for the last 24 hours to get to Seacouver - a place he'd sworn never to return to.

Taking off his helmet, Richie took a deep breath of the crisp morning air. It was September but wildflowers still bloomed prolifically along the road side. Later, he knew the temperature would warm up, but right now there was a definite nip in the air.

He hadn't believed his ears, two days ago, when one of his co-workers, Dan, had started raving about a blues club he had visited while on vacation in Seacouver. Dan had then dropped the bombshell that had rocked Richie's world by telling him that the owner, Joe Dawson, had collapsed at the club and they had taken him away in an ambulance.

Over the last seven years, Richie had gone to great pains to avoid being found by the Watcher Organization, changing identities and locations whenever he thought a Watcher had found him. Richie hadn't wanted to lose touch with Joe, so he had occasionally written letters and given them to truck drivers to post in a distant city so that there would be no trail back to him. But as time passed, he had stopped writing. There didn't seem to be much point when no letters could come back.

Richie had spent a sleepless night worrying about Joe. He tried to call the bar and then the hospital but neither place would give out any information. The next morning, Richie had made a quick phone call to his boss asking for some time off. There hadn't been anyone else to notify - his life was just as empty as he often felt inside. Driven by worry and guilt, Richie had jumped on his bike and headed here.

Seacouver lay sprawled before him, a city filled with memories - some good, some bad. His life had changed so many times in that city. There had been MacLeod and Tessa who had taken him in and shown him that there was more to life - to living - than what he had learned in the various orphanages and foster homes he had grown up in. Then one night, his life had changed again as mortal life had been ripped from his body and Tessa's at the hands of a mugger. He had awakened from that nightmare and started his life anew as an Immortal, Tessa had not.

His relationship with MacLeod had continued, despite being sent away after Richie had taken Mako's head. They had come back together again in Paris when Richie had been fleeing from an Immortal named Hyde. For a while life had been good and his friendship with MacLeod had deepened as time passed. But that had been ripped away, too, when Richie had knelt on the dojo floor with MacLeod's sword at his neck.

Richie had started traveling, picking fights with any Immortal that came along - after all there can be only One. He had learned his lesson well at the hands of his teacher.

Eventually, he had returned to Seacouver. For a while it had looked like his friendship with MacLeod had died that night in the dojo. But it hadn't. A small ember of friendship still glowed and slowly they nurtured it back into a flame again. It wasn't the same as before - but in some ways it had been better. Richie figured that he had survived the worst that Duncan MacLeod could possibly throw at him.

How wrong he had been. How foolish. How stupid. How naive.

And now he was back. Bracing himself for whatever might happen, he pulled his helmet on, started his bike, and headed down into town.

* HL * HL * HL

Hours later, Richie sat on a bench in a small park across the street from the hospital. From here he could see the front door as well as a large portion of the parking lot. Including the section where a black T-bird was parked. He found it amazing that the old heap still functioned after all these years. Richie had risked going in to the front desk and getting a room number for Joe. They wouldn't give him any other information. He had retreated and found this bench where he could see if MacLeod left but not be sensed by the Highlander.

He still wasn't ready to face MacLeod yet - not even after seven years. Not after... Richie pushed that thought from his mind. He tried to tell himself that Joe might be dying and this could be his last chance to talk to the Watcher, but he couldn't force himself into the hospital.

Richie turned his attention back to the front door of the hospital as it opened. He recognized the Immortal coming out but it wasn't MacLeod. He rose to his feet and followed him to the parking lot. As he drew closer, Richie felt the warning buzz of Immortality and knew the other man felt it as well by the way he stopped and looked around warily. Spotting Richie, the man stopped and waited for the young Immortal's approach.

"Hello, Ryan."

"Methos." Richie nodded. "How's Joe?"

"Why would *you* want to know?" Methos asked sarcastically.

"Joe's my friend!" Richie protested.

"Well, you have a funny way of showing it. You dropped out of sight years ago. For all Joe or MacLeod knew, you might have been killed by someone. You put them both through hell."

"What was I supposed to do? I couldn't stay here after..." Richie's voice trailed off.

"After what?" Methos looked puzzled.

"Never mind. Tell me how Joe's doing. Please," Richie pleaded.

"He had a heart attack. It was touch and go for a while, but he's going to be fine. It's almost unbelievable what modern medical techniques can do these days," Methos replied. "Hopefully, he'll be out of the hospital in a few days. Look, why don't you come inside with me. I'm sure Joe would love to see you."

Richie stepped back. "No! Not as long as MacLeod is there. He's got to leave sometime. I'll see Joe then."

"What's going on with you two? One day you're pals and the next thing I knew, you had taken off, MacLeod was working his way through Joe's entire stock of Scotch, and Joe refused to discuss it! Now you won't even visit a sick friend because MacLeod is in the same building."

"It's none of your damn business." Richie turned and started to walk away.

Methos grabbed the younger Immortal by the arm and swung him around. "It's my business if it affects Joe's health. The last thing he needs is to have the two of you squabbling over something that happened years ago. Whatever the problem was, MacLeod will have forgiven you by now." Methos had no doubt about that. He knew that MacLeod still cared for his former student. Even now, MacLeod would still head to his island retreat for a week around Richie's birthday. "Why don't you come in and see for yourself. I'm sure he's gotten over whatever it was that you did."

Richie's mouth hung open for a moment before snapping shut. "That's right - blame me for everything. *I* didn't do anything! It was MacLeod's actions that drove me away. And I don't think I'm ready to forgive him for it. Not now - maybe not ever. All I want is a chance to see Joe without MacLeod being around. Is that too much to ask?"

"Unless you tell me what this is all about, there's no way I'm going to help you," Methos stated. "It's your choice, tell me or leave now."

Richie stared at the ancient Immortal for several long moments. "You want to know? Fine. MacLeod killed my wife." With that blunt statement, Richie yanked his arm free from the stunned Methos and walked away.

"That's not possible... he wouldn't do that," Methos protested to himself. "He's too much of a boy scout."

Watching Richie walk away, Methos tried to figure out how he could have missed something that big. He hadn't even known that Richie was married. The last time he had seen him had been after the fake Methos affair.

Methos had gone into hiding for a while after the Horsemen incident but eventually he and MacLeod had settled their differences or rather MacLeod had finally accepted the fact that the Methos of the past and the Methos of the present were not the same. MacLeod had told him that he had just missed seeing Richie in Paris and that the young Immortal had returned to the states. Four months passed before MacLeod headed back to Seacouver. Methos had followed six weeks later and found MacLeod spending way too much time at Joe's, drinking himself into oblivion.

Methos knew that Ryan had been part of the problem by the simple fact that MacLeod refused to discuss him. When Methos kept pushing for answers, MacLeod had even come after him with his sword. Being drunk, he had been no match for the older Immortal who had quickly disarmed him. The feel of a naked blade resting against his neck had managed to sober up the Highlander and convince him to stay that way.

Needing some answers, Methos walked over to the bench that Ryan had returned to. "Tell me what happened," he ordered as he sat down next to the young Immortal.

"I don't even know where to start."

"What was her name?"

"Elspeth Windrow. I called her Elsie." Richie smiled slightly as he remembered the blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman who had reminded him so much of Tessa. "Of course, she hated being called that. Said it reminded her of a cow. I never did understand it but Joe did. When I asked him if he understood what she was talking about, he practically fell over laughing and muttered something about the 'Borden cow'. He never would explain it to me."

"She was Immortal?"

"Yeah. She died the first time at the age of twenty two, during the depression. I met her while I was on the road. Her Porsche had broken down and she asked me to take a look at it. As it turned out, it was beyond repair and I couldn't just leave her in the middle of nowhere, so I told her I would take her to the next town. We had such a great time, that we just kept on traveling together."

Richie thought back to those months he had spent traveling after leaving Paris. The first month he had been on his own, just moving from town to town, never staying anywhere for too long. Then he had met Elsie on a deserted stretch of road. It had been hot and she had worn shorts that displayed her long legs and a cutoff top that allowed tantalizing glimpses of bare skin whenever she moved. One look at the heart-shaped face, the bright blue eyes, and the white teeth gleaming brightly at him and he had been hopelessly lost.

For the next three months they had traveled together, having a great time. Elspeth had insisted on paying the bills since Richie was providing transportation. She had been a balm to his wounded pride after he had been ditched by Marina once her family was wealthy again. They had worked their way across the country before arriving at Seacouver. They'd had such fun buying a new car for Elsie, finding an apartment, buying furniture, dishes, and everything that was needed to start a new life together...

"So when did MacLeod meet her?" Methos interrupted Richie's thoughts.

"We got back to Seacouver about the same time he got back from Paris. He wasn't very happy about me living with another Immortal. I'm sure he had Joe check her out though, because he seemed to calm down some. That's why it was such a shock when he killed her. I got to the dojo shortly after it happened. MacLeod was putting her body into the trunk of his car. He was the only other Immortal around and didn't bother to deny what happened."

"Did he tell you why he killed her? Maybe she challenged him."

"There was no way she would have challenged him. She knew how good he was and that she would never have a chance. Even if she did, MacLeod didn't have to kill her. I asked him why but he refused to say anything." Richie stared off into space, trapped in the nightmare of the past. He could still hear his voice asking 'Why? Why did you do it?'

Methos found Richie's cold, emotionless recitation of finding MacLeod moving his wife's dead body unnerving. It was as if it had happened to someone else or was in a movie he had seen. And yet his hatred - or was it fear? - of MacLeod appeared to run so deep.

He studied the young Immortal. Richie exuded weariness - he must have been traveling a long way to get here - but it was more than just that. He no longer resembled - except physically - the brash, enthusiastic young man that he had first met eight years ago. He didn't even look like the Immortal he had become after the Dark Quickening had changed his life. Even then, he had been slightly naive and still looking for answers.

The Immortal sitting in front of him looked like a man who had cut himself off from everything he knew. A person who remained apart - a loner. Afraid to reach out to anyone - mortal or Immortal - for fear of being hurt again. His blue eyes seemed lifeless - almost as if there was no joy, no happiness in his life.

Methos knew that look well. He had seen the same look on other Immortals who felt they had lived too long. He had even seen that look reflected back to him from a mirror on occasion.

For now, he could do something about the physical. "Listen, Richie," Methos said. "Why don't you go over to my place - it's not too far from here. You can get something to eat, clean up and try to get some sleep. As soon as I can, I'll arrange for you to see Joe," Methos promised. "Here are my keys..."

"I can find a place to stay on my own." Richie's face took on a stubborn look.

Methos looked at the younger Immortal. If his clothes were anything to judge by, Richie was still short on money. Who knew what kind of dive he might end up in - assuming of course that he even bothered getting a room. "Look, Richie, if you go to my place, I'll know where to contact you," Methos suggested slyly.

Richie gave in. "Okay. I guess that makes sense..."

Methos gave Richie directions to his apartment and watched the young Immortal drive off before heading for his car to retrieve what he had originally come out for.

* HL

"What took you so long?" Duncan asked as Methos entered Joe's room.

"Just wanted some fresh air, that's all," Methos lied as he handed over the item he was carrying. "Here's the book I promised you, Joe. I don't know why I didn't remember to bring it in with me earlier."

"Must be old age," Duncan quipped.

Methos shot the other Immortal a dirty look but refrained from commenting. As he did every time he came in the room, Methos did a quick check of the heart monitor wired to Joe's chest. The steady rhythm along with the improved color in Joe's face was all that he needed to convince himself that Joe was getting better. He glanced around the bright, sun-filled room, so different from when he had studied medicine. Except for the medical equipment and the hospital bed, one might think they were in a nice hotel room.

The three of them chatted for a while. Methos couldn't think of any reason to get MacLeod out of the room so that he could talk to Joe alone. Therefore, when MacLeod announced that he was going for a walk to stretch his legs, Methos had to fight to keep a grin from his face.

"That sounds like a good idea, Mac," Methos said. "Take your time." Once Methos could no longer sense the other Immortal, he turned to Joe. "Richie's back in town," he said bluntly.

"Richie's alive? You've seen him?" Joe grabbed Methos' arm.

"Calm down, Joe," Methos said as he saw the increased activity showing on the heart monitor. "Yes, I've seen him. How come you didn't know he was alive? You're still in the Watchers. Surely you would have heard if he lost his head."

"Richie ditched his Watcher before he left town. All I had to go on were reports whenever an unknown Immortal was involved. Usually it was hard to tell if it was him or not, even if there were pictures. And a lot of times, bodies are disposed of before we can get a positive ID. When the letters stopped coming, I decided he must have lost his head."

"Letters? What letters?"

"He wrote me about every four months, each postmarked from a different place. I sent Watchers to the areas to see if anyone could identify Richie from a picture, but we always came up empty. And then they stopped coming." Joe could still remember how eagerly he had checked his mailbox each day whenever another letter was due. He also remembered his anxiety when four months turned into six months and then a year without a letter. That was when he started to give up hope.

"Well Ryan is definitely still alive. What happened between him and MacLeod? Richie told me that MacLeod killed his wife. Is that true?"

"As far as I know, it is," Joe replied sadly. "But we didn't have anyone who actually saw the fight. I only had one Watcher on Richie and Elspeth. When they split up that day, their Watcher decided to follow Richie around. Mac's Watcher followed him around all morning but he got stuck in traffic. He got to the dojo the same time Richie and his Watcher did. After the fireworks were done."

Methos sighed in frustration. "Okay. Tell me about Elspeth."

"Not a lot to tell. She wasn't great with a sword but she wasn't bad either. She liked to find a male Immortal to protect her. Preferably a rich one. She liked the comforts of life. The only Immortals she ever challenged were female. There wasn't anything in her file that I felt would cause problems. She was pretty, vivacious, and she liked to flirt and have a good time. I wasn't surprised that Richie fell for her."

"So where do we go from here?" Methos asked.

"I want to see Richie. Before I got a chance to talk to him, he had left town," Joe said. "We've got to keep Mac out of the way. Any ideas?"

Methos and Joe had finalized their plans to give Joe some time alone with Richie just as Methos felt an Immortal's presence. MacLeod entered the room moments later.

The rest of the day seemed to drag for Joe. All he could think about was seeing Richie again and maybe finding some answers to the questions that had plagued him all these years. Finally, Methos suggested dinner at Fiorni's, and MacLeod agreed. Methos left to make reservations but Joe knew that he would contact Richie too. Ten minutes after they left Richie hesitantly came into the room.

"Hey, Joe," Richie said with a slight smile. "Long time no see."

"Richie! It's good to see you again," Joe declared with a wide grin, trying to cover his shock at Richie's haggard appearance. "Come over here and sit down." He waved to a chair by the bed.

Richie moved closer but didn't sit down. "I wasn't sure if you'd want to see me after all this time..." he said hesitantly.

"Why wouldn't I?" Joe asked. "We're still friends aren't we?"

Richie shrugged his shoulders and stared at the floor. "You tell me."

"Richie." Joe waited until he finally looked up. "As far as I'm concerned, we're still friends. Nothing has changed that. Now will you *please* sit down!"

Richie gave a brief smile and moved to the chair Joe had indicated. "So how ya doing, Joe?" His hand reached out tentatively toward the bed and Joe grasped it in a strong grip for a moment.

"I'm going to be fine. But I'd just about given up on you. All these years and no word from you. You had me worried... and mad. Why did you leave like that?"

Richie hung his head. "I'm...I'm sorry, Joe. I just didn't know what to do. If you want me to leave..."

"Hell no, I don't want you to leave! We have some serious catching up to do. So tell me, Richie, what have you been up to? Have the years been good to you?" Joe asked.

Richie stared at his hands for a long time. "Not really, Joe. Life was... difficult for a while. But things are starting to look up now. I've got a good job working in a factory, nothing exciting, but it pays the bills. How about you?"

"Same old thing. I've opened a second bar down in Portland but I still spend most of my time at the one here. And I'm still with the Watchers."

Richie's face hardened. "Please don't assign someone to follow me. I'm happy where I'm at right now."

"I'll make you a deal. If you tell me which Immortals you've fought and beheaded, I won't put a Watcher on you now. Deal?"

"Deal. I'll make a list and get it to you," Richie agreed.

"What I don't understand, Richie, is why you don't want a Watcher on you? Did you think that I would tell Mac where you were?"

"I don't know, Joe. It just seemed the right thing to do."

Richie and Joe talked about the bar for a while. Richie explained about how he found out Joe was in the hospital. Then Joe told Richie about some of the Immortals that he knew. Kit O'Brady owned a whole stable of race horses. Connor had moved to Chicago. Gregor was back in medical school. Kenny tried his new Immortal routine on the wrong person and lost his head.

"So what's Amanda up to now?" Richie asked.

"Amanda... well Amanda is just... Amanda. What more can I say?" Joe and Richie exchanged grins. "She pops in every now and then and causes Mac all kinds of grief. I have no idea where she is right now - her Watchers can't seem to keep up with her either - but I'm expecting her anytime. Mac said he left messages for her about my being in the hospital."

Richie's face became shuttered at the mention of MacLeod's name. Joe couldn't help but notice. It was so unlike the young man that he used to know. For a moment it was almost like looking at a stranger.

Joe hated to wake up old pain but he wanted some answers. "I know this may be hard on you, but we need to talk about what happened back then. I came to see you a week after the... the killing, but you'd already left town."

Richie gave a cynical little laugh as he slouched back in his chair. "I didn't leave town for almost three months, Joe."

"But I went to your apartment..."

"I was kicked out. The rent check bounced. They repossessed everything - the furniture, the car, my wedding ring... Elsie left me so deep in debt, it took me almost six years to pay everyone off. I've been working two or three jobs at a time, living the cheapest way I can, but I did it," Richie said, pride ringing through his words.

"What?" Joe was startled at that bit of news. "I don't understand. She always seemed to have plenty of money."

"She had her credit cards charged to the max and was writing bad checks. It never even occurred to me that she couldn't pay for all those expensive hotel rooms we stayed at or the new Mercedes or the furniture we bought. Anyway, when I got home that night, the cops were waiting for me. Well, for Elspeth anyway. When she never came home, things got real interesting. I think the cops even believed that I had gotten rid of her. But without a body, they couldn't prove anything. And MacLeod made sure they never found it. The cops finally decided that she had skipped town and told me I was free to go."

"I'm sorry, Richie. I didn't know. I would have helped."

"That's okay, Joe. It was my mess and I needed to get out of it myself. It was time for me to start taking responsibility for my actions. I couldn't keep running to you or MacLeod every time I got into trouble."

"But surely you couldn't be held responsible for debts that she incurred. Except maybe those after you two were married."

"I helped rack up those debts. And then..." Richie's eyes settled on his shoes again.

"What, Richie?"

Richie sighed. "One of the people that we owed a lot of money to had to declare bankruptcy. He blew his brains out a few days later. He left behind a wife and two kids. I felt so... guilty."

"You can't blame yourself for that! There had to be more to it than that. A lot of people have gone bankrupt and not killed themselves."

"Maybe. But I still felt guilty. The least I could do was make sure his widow got all the money I owed her." Glancing at his watch, Richie jumped to his feet. "Listen, I'd better go before MacLeod and Methos get back. Can I come back and see you again?"

"You'd better," Joe threatened with a smile.

"Take it easy, Joe." A quick clasp of hands that said so much more than words and Richie headed out of the door.

* HL * HL

Methos couldn't believe his rotten luck. Normally a meal at Fiorni's easily took ninety minutes, if not more. Tonight they had gotten out in just under an hour. He hoped that Richie had already left the hospital by now but somehow he had the feeling that disaster was looming.

As MacLeod swung the T-bird into the hospital parking lot, Methos saw Richie coming out the front door of the hospital. It was obvious that MacLeod saw him too by the way he slammed on the brakes. Fortunately, Richie was oblivious to their presence as he headed for his bike parked in the other direction.

Methos glanced over at MacLeod and was startled to find him already half out of the car. "MacLeod, wait!" Methos put a restraining hand on MacLeod's arm.

Duncan turned disbelieving eyes towards Methos. "You knew, didn't you? And you weren't going to tell me!"

"What would you have done if I told you? Richie didn't want to see you and I can't blame him. Unless you want to give me a reason to change my mind. Like tell me what happened seven years ago?"

"Get out!" Duncan snarled.

"What?"

"Get out of my car. Now!"

Methos climbed out and stood watching helplessly while MacLeod peeled out of the parking lot. "Damn," he muttered as he headed inside.

An hour later, Methos was no closer to the truth. The money angle was something to look into. Maybe Elspeth had figured out some way of profiting from MacLeod's death and thought it was worth the risk but he couldn't figure out how.

* HL *

Duncan sat in the darkened loft above the dojo. The only illumination was a few candles flickering in the darkness. He looked at the half empty bottle of Scotch in front of him and debated finishing it off. But he knew there were no answers at the bottom of the bottle. He'd tried to do that before.

Richie. It had been such a jolt to see him tonight. Thank god he was still alive. At first, he hadn't believed Joe when the Watcher had declared he didn't know where Richie was. But he could always tell when Joe had gotten word from or about him because he would be in a unusually cheery mood for days. But then had come the long months when Joe was almost unbearable to be around. Duncan had feared the worst but his pride had kept him from asking. Or maybe he just hadn't wanted to know.

How clearly he could still remember that time. How upset he had been when Richie had shown up with a female Immortal. You'd think the kid would have learned something after tangling with Kristen. But Joe had insisted that Elspeth was harmless.

Joe had been wrong.

Elspeth had showed up one afternoon by herself. He had been in the dojo's office, working on paperwork when he felt the buzz. Not expecting anyone, he had moved out into the dojo, katana ready, waiting to see who came in the door...

"Hello, Duncan. I thought I'd drop by and talk to you," Elspeth said.

"Is Richie with you?" Duncan asked. He moved back to the office and laid his katana down on the desk before coming back out to the dojo. It wasn't that he trusted her, but there was no way she could have a sword hidden in the blue mini-dress she was wearing.

"No. Not this time. I wanted to talk to you alone." Elspeth closed the distance between them until only a few feet separated them. "You don't like me, do you?"

"I don't know you well enough to like or dislike."

"I could change that," Elspeth said as she stepped closer. She ran her hand lightly down his chest. She moved even closer, bringing her hand up to his neck and then to his face, one finger tracing his lips. "I could make you very happy," She promised in a throaty whisper.

Duncan captured her hand and moved it from his face. "I thought it was Richie that you were supposed to be making happy."

"He's young, he'll get over it. But you... I think we could make each other *very* happy." Her free hand snaked up behind his neck and she rose on tiptoe to place a kiss on his lips, pressing her body up against his as she did so.

Duncan pulled back and shoved her away. "NO!" he shouted, disgusted at the way she was acting. "I'm not interested."

Elspeth's eyes tightened in anger. "What's the matter? Can't you handle a *real* woman? Or are boys more your style? Was Richie your little pet before I came along? Is that it? Are you jealous because I'm in his bed and you're not?"

Duncan, furious at her words, clenched his fists to keep from hitting her. "I'm going to try to forget what you just said. Now I strongly suggest that you get out of here before I forget that Richie loves you and take your head anyway."

"You'll be sorry you turned me down," Elspeth spat at him before turning and storming out of the dojo.

Four days later, he had dropped in at Joe's only to find a very disgruntled Watcher.

"You're something else, you know that, MacLeod?" Joe scowled at him.

"What do you mean, Joe?"

"You're going to drive Richie away if you keep this up. I know that you don't like Elspeth but to actually go this far is unbelievable."

"What are you talking about?" Duncan asked, thoroughly confused.

"The wedding, what else? It wouldn't have killed you to go to it."

"What wedding?"

Joe gave him a disbelieving look. "Richie and Elspeth's wedding."

"They're *married*?" Duncan collapsed on a bar stool. "When?"

"Two days ago. Don't tell me you didn't know!" "Honest, Joe. This is the first time I've heard about it. How did you find out about it?"

"I was *invited*," Joe said with a frown. "Weren't you?"

Duncan shook his head. "I don't believe this." For some idiotic reason, he felt hurt. He had always thought Richie would at least invite him to his wedding even if he didn't want him to be his best man. And to have to find out about it from Joe who had been invited... "I'll... I'll see you around, Joe." He left the bar in a hurry. It wasn't until later that he decided that Elspeth must have been to blame for him not being invited to the wedding. Who knew what lies she had told Richie.

Duncan hauled himself back from the past. Remembering those days only brought pain. He wondered how things might have been different if he had taken Elspeth up on her offer - at least long enough to show Richie how mistaken he had been about her. At least Richie had never known that his lover had been willing to leave him for Duncan. That was one secret he intended to take to his grave.

And then Elspeth was dead. Her pretty blonde head separated from the rest of her body. Duncan had made a choice, knowing that it would drive Richie away, possibly send him back down the road he had followed after the Dark Quickening had changed their lives. The alternative had been out of the question. At the time, he thought he had done the right thing. He still did.

The final harsh blow had come a week later. A crate had been delivered to the dojo with an accompanying letter from Richie. Duncan still had the letter saved but he didn't need to read it to recall the words.

'MacLeod, after Tessa died, you told me to sell the shop and everything in it. I kept - the word had been crossed out - stole these items then. At the time, I didn't think you would mind if I had a few things to remember Tessa by. But now I'm returning them to their rightful owner. Richie.'

Duncan had carefully unpacked the crate. The items included the leather overalls that Tessa wore whenever she was working on her art, a pair of dangly earrings, a partially used bottle of Tessa's favorite perfume, two small statues that Tessa had made, and a sketch pad of drawings she had done. It had been the final item that had caused the tears to start flowing down his cheeks as he realized the finality that it symbolized. It had been a gold, diamond cut bracelet that Richie have given Tessa shortly before she had been killed.

Richie had as much right to that bracelet as Duncan did. In fact, Duncan would have willingly told Richie to take anything he wanted of Tessa's. But he had been so immersed in his own grief at the time, that the thought had never occurred to him. That Richie had returned them meant that he wanted to sever any connection to the past. Not only to Duncan, but to Tessa as well. That had hurt beyond belief and sent him to the bottle in an effort to forget.

Pouring himself one more drink, Duncan blew out the candles and headed for bed. He lay there, staring at the ceiling for hours, trying to figure out how to straighten out his screwed up life.

* HL * HL

The next morning Duncan was almost to Joe's room when he felt the touch of another Immortal. For a brief instant, he prayed that it would be Richie while at the same time, he hoped that it wasn't. He wasn't sure if he could stand to see the venom in Richie's eyes again.

Taking a deep breath, Duncan pushed the door open and entered the room. Methos was sitting by Joe's bedside, not Richie. "Methos, about last night..."

Methos waved him off. "Forget it. That must have been quite a shock to see Richie like that."

"Thanks. If Richie wants to come see you, Joe, just let me know. I'll make myself scarce until after he leaves. I don't want to cause any problems."

"I appreciate that, Mac," Joe said. "But isn't it about time for you to explain what happened? I can't believe you would have killed Elspeth without a good reason. If you told him the truth, maybe you could salvage your friendship."

"There's nothing that I'd like better. But telling him what happened that afternoon isn't going to help. Let it go, Joe. You'll only cause more hurt and grief if you keep pushing it."

"Okay, Mac. But I'm still going to try to talk Richie into at least seeing you. Maybe if you two talked..."

"Thanks, Joe," Duncan smiled gratefully at the watcher. "But don't hold your breath. Richie can be just as stubborn as I can."

"Who knows," Methos said. "Maybe he's changed there too."

"What do you mean?" Duncan asked with some alarm. "How has he changed?" What else would he have to carry on his conscience?

Joe and Methos exchanged glances. "We were talking about that just before you came in," Methos said. "Richie's changed a lot. He's more subdued, withdrawn."

"Yeah. He barely smiled the whole time he was here. And when he did, well, it never reached his eyes. They looked so... so..." Joe struggled to find a word to describe it.

"So what?" Duncan asked impatiently.

"Dead," Methos finished the sentence for Joe. "At first, I thought it was just exhaustion from traveling so far to get here, but he looked the same way this morning. Richie has had a hard time and it shows."

"But he said his life was finally turning around," Joe tossed in.

Duncan felt sick at what he was hearing. Whenever he thought of Richie, it was always the image of a smiling con artist that came to mind. It was hard to picture him as Joe and Methos described the young Immortal now. Not the Richie Ryan he had known and loved almost as a son.

And he, Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod, had done this to him. And this time, there was no Dark Quickening to blame it on.

"Why has his life been so hard? I don't understand."

"Elspeth had been writing bad checks and there was an investigation. She left Richie in major debt and he pushed himself to the limit to pay everyone back," Methos explained.

Duncan had made a tough decision about whether to put Elspeth's body where it would be found or whether to make sure it was never found at all. On the one hand, he knew it would be easier on Richie to have closure - to have a funeral to attend where he could say his final good-byes. But that would have brought both of them under police scrutiny - something Immortals tried to avoid. He had hoped that no one would even notice that Elspeth had disappeared. Now it looked like Richie had taken all of the heat instead.

With a start, Duncan realized that both Joe and Methos were staring at him. "What?" he asked, wondering what he had missed.

Joe sighed in exasperation. "I just asked you if you'd mind leaving for a couple of hours so that Richie could come visit. I know you just got here but I'm having another angiogram this afternoon so I won't be able to see him then."

"Of course, Joe," Duncan replied quickly. He glanced at his watch. "How about if I come back around lunch time? Will that give you enough time?"

Joe nodded. "Thanks, Mac. I wish this could be some other way."

"It's not your fault, Joe." Duncan started to leave the room but turned back at the doorway. "Tell Richie that I have a crate of things that belong to him. If he wants them, I can bring them in here. Or I can keep holding them for him as long as he would like."

"I'll tell him," Joe promised.

Duncan quickly strode towards his car. Part of him wanted to hang around just so that he could see Richie in the daylight. See for himself the damage that he had done. The other part of him told himself to grow up and stop acting like a movie star groupie, hanging around hoping for a glimpse of his idol. If Richie should see or sense him, he might flee again. And that would hurt Joe.

* HL * HL

Richie quietly walked down the hospital corridor to Joe's room. He could feel the presence of another Immortal and sincerely hoped that Joe wasn't setting him up. Methos had told him that he would be there so that must be who he sensed. Still he hesitated outside the door. He jumped back a foot when the door opened from the inside.

"Come on in, Richie. It's just me," Methos said with a grin.

Richie gave a sigh of relief when he saw that Joe was the only other occupant of the room. He walked over to Joe's bed, reached into his pocket and pulled out a sheet of paper.

"Here's the list you wanted, Joe," Richie said as he handed over the paper. "I'm pretty sure of the names and places but the dates might be off. Some of those happened years ago."

Joe looked over the list. His eyes opened in astonishment at one of the names. "You killed Kyle Madigan? He must have been over 1500 years old!"

"Madigan? Where have I heard the name before?" Methos asked.

"He hung around England mostly. Killed any Immortal who crossed his path as well as any mortal who found out his secret. In fact, I believe he almost killed Connor three hundred years ago but he managed to get away by jumping off a cliff into a river. He even killed several of his Watchers."

"Oh, yeah. Now I remember. Ruthless SOB. I'm impressed, Ryan."

"He must've had an off day." Richie shrugged but a part of him inside felt a small glow of pride.

Joe finished reading the list. There were about fifteen names on it. Not too bad for an Immortal who hadn't turned thirty. At least Richie hadn't become a head hunter. Joe recognized most of the names as being Immortals who went out of their way to start a fight.

Methos turned the conversation towards Elspeth. Unlike Joe, he had not made any promises to MacLeod to drop the issue. "Tell me, Richie. Did Elspeth ever ask you about how rich MacLeod was?"

"Yeah. After she first met him. I told her I didn't know how much money he had. She said she was just curious. Why?" Richie looked puzzled.

"Joe told me about how deep in debt she was. Maybe she thought that you would inherit everything from MacLeod so she tried to kill him."

"What are you trying to say?" Richie asked hotly. "Is that what MacLeod said happened? That she tried to kill him for money?"

"MacLeod hasn't said anything about what happened," Methos said calmly. "I'm just trying to figure out why he would have killed Elspeth. There has to be a reason..."

"How about - there can be only one! Or maybe he's not over the Dark Quickening after all. Or maybe he was..."

"He was what, Richie?" Methos jumped on the opening.

Richie stared down at his feet before giving a big sigh. "Elspeth told me that MacLeod made several heavy passes at her. That he wanted her to leave me and move in with him. That he could protect her better than I could. I told her she must have misunderstood him but when he refused to come to our wedding, I didn't know what to think."

Joe looked at Richie in amazement. "C'mon, Rich. How long have you known Mac? Do you really think he would do something like that? Besides, he told me that he hadn't been invited to your wedding."

"Well then he was lying," Richie insisted. "When Elspeth invited him, he threatened to take her head instead of letting her marry me. She was really scared when she came home that day."

"It sounds to me like she was manipulating both of you," Methos said. "Think about this - if she was so worried about him taking her head, why was she at the dojo alone that day?"

"I don't know!" Richie jumped to his feet and started pacing back and forth. "Nothing makes sense. She wouldn't have challenged him. He wouldn't have challenged her. But she's dead. That's all I *do* know. And he won't defend himself. That must mean he's guilty," Richie stated emphatically.

As much as Joe hated to admit it, Richie had a point. The fact that MacLeod wouldn't tell anyone what happened did point to his having done something that he was ashamed of. But it didn't fit the man that he had known all these years.

"Listen," Richie said. "This isn't getting us any place. Why don't we just drop it. It happened. It's over and done with."

"Richie, will you at least see Mac? Talk to him? You were the best of friends once but this is tearing both of you apart. I'm asking because you are *both* my friends and I'm caught in the middle. I don't want to lose touch with you again but I can't be constantly worrying about whether both of you will show up at the same time," Joe said. "I'm not asking you to be friends again - although I would like nothing better - but can't you find a little forgiveness in your heart?"

Richie shook his head. "I just don't know if I can handle it, Joe. Let... Let me think about it for a while." Richie rose to his feet.

"Are you leaving?" Joe asked with a touch of panic in his voice. Had he driven away the young man with his request? Would Richie come back or would he just disappear like last time?

"I need some time to think," Richie replied. He turned to Methos. "I'll be at your place if you need me. Okay?"

"Sure, Rich," Methos replied with a smile. "Just make yourself at home."

"Hey, Rich," Joe's voice stopped Richie at the door. "Mac asked me to tell you that he had a crate of your belongings stored at the dojo. If you want them, he'll leave them here for you to pick up."

Richie stood still for several moments, his back ramrod-stiff. Finally he spoke. "Th-thanks, Joe, I'll... I'll let you know," he said in a muffled voice before he left the room.

Joe and Methos exchanged looks.

"Well, that didn't go like I thought it would," Joe finally said.

"What did you expect, Joe? MacLeod was everything to Richie - father, brother, teacher, friend. And yet within a year, Mac tried to take Richie's head and then apparently killed Richie's wife. That's pretty hard to swallow."

"And yet Mac forgave you worse things," Joe insisted.

"There's a difference, Joe. Except for Cassandra, MacLeod didn't *know* any of my victims. In the end, I saved her and helped MacLeod at the same time. That made it easier for him to justify forgiving me."

"And the fact that what you did happened thousands of years ago helped too," Joe added.

"Plus MacLeod had plenty of time to think through things. Richie hasn't. I've been there, Joe. When your entire existence is tied up with just surviving. You work sixteen or more hours every day, day in and day out, until you're so exhausted you want to drop. But you can't because you also have to practice so that you'll be ready if another Immortal comes for you. So you cut into your precious sleeping time to work out. Eventually, your mind shuts down so you can't think about how awful your life is. Or the fact that there's no end in sight."

"Yeah. Been there. That's what Vietnam was like. You got to the point where all you could do was concentrate on the next step. You didn't want to think about tomorrow. You couldn't think about the past." Joe's eyes darkened as he remembered those days.

Methos laid a comforting hand on Joe's arm. "We've gotten past our nightmares, Joe. Richie hasn't. And until the truth comes out, I doubt that he will be able to. We've got to figure out how to help him."

"Why are you so concerned about Richie?" Joe asked. "This doesn't seem like you."

Methos had been asking himself the same question since yesterday but hadn't come up with a good answer. "I don't know, Joe. Maybe it was the look on Richie's face yesterday. He seemed so... so... alone. I guess I can sympathize. Maybe if he had been older when this all happened..."

Joe recognized the look that crossed Methos' face. Another Immortal was coming. He glanced at the clock. "It's too early for Mac. Do you think it's Richie?"

Methos reached for his coat as the door opened. An instant later he tossed it back on the chair next to him and rose to his feet. "Amanda. Nice to see you."

Amanda gave Methos a brief smile as she passed by him in a wave of perfume. "Joe, I got here as fast as I could when I heard the news. How are you? Are they taking good care of you? What did the doctors say? Well aren't you going to answer me?"

"I'm fine. Yes, they are. I'll live. And of course I will. Did I answer all of them?" Joe looked to Methos for confirmation. When he nodded, Joe turned back to Amanda. "Amanda, what have you done to your hair now? It's... it's..."

"Blue. I believe the word you are looking for is blue," Methos said.

"Do you like it?" Amanda put one hand up to her hair and patted the tight curls. "It's the hottest fashion this year."

"You look like a smurf," Methos snickered. "Has MacLeod seen this yet?"

Amanda glared at the other Immortal. "No. I came straight here from the airport. Joe, what do you think?"

"Somehow, Amanda, it suits you," Joe said with a grin. "But I can't wait to hear what Mac has to say."

"You two are impossible," she declared. "Methos, would you be a dear and go pay off the taxi? I seem to be a little short of cash. I was sure that Duncan would be here..."

Methos grumbled but went to do her bidding. He'd long since given up fighting Amanda. Besides, he would just get MacLeod to pay him back.

"It's too bad you didn't get here fifteen minutes sooner. You just missed Richie," Joe said. He noticed a strange look cross Amanda's face. "What is it, Amanda?"

"Richie's here? In town?" Amanda looked worried. "Where's Duncan?"

"Mac agreed to stay away while Richie visited. He should be here soon," Joe explained. "Do you know what happened between them seven years ago?"

"Me?!" Amanda squeaked. "Why would I know anything?" Amanda refused to look at Joe.

It was like a light bulb going off. "Oh no! Tell me you didn't... You weren't even in town!" No reply came. "Amanda! How could you?!"

"I didn't know who she was!" Amanda defended herself. "She was hanging around the dojo and she challenged me. She made some comment about making him sorry. Duncan got there just as I started to take her head. He tried to stop me but it was too late. I never meant to hurt Richie. I just didn't know."

"And Mac took the blame for you?"

Amanda nodded. "He sent me up to the loft and told me to stay there, that he would clean up the mess. And that he would arrange it so that Richie would never find out who killed her. Once it got dark, Duncan smuggled me out to his car and took me back to the airport and I took the first flight out. I didn't know until months later that Richie had caught Duncan moving the body and jumped to the conclusion that he had killed her. I didn't mean for that to happen, Joe."

"I know you didn't," Joe sighed. "But we've got to fix this."

"Fix what?" Methos asked as he came back through the door, along with MacLeod. He watched while the other two Immortals greeted each other. He almost snickered as MacLeod stared at Amanda's hair but he had to give the Highlander credit for refusing to comment on it. "What do we have to fix, Joe?" he asked again.

"Meet Elspeth's killer." Joe waved towards Amanda.

Methos looked blankly at Joe and then Amanda for a minute until Joe's words finally sank in. "Of course. It's so bloody obvious - why didn't I see it?"

"There isn't any way to fix this, Joe," Duncan insisted.

"No! It's not fair to Richie. He's the one who's been hurt by all of this. We have to make this right!"

"How? By having him come after Amanda? That's what I was trying to avoid in the first place," Duncan insisted. "You can't interfere!"

"I'm interfering as a friend, not as a Watcher. It's been seven years. I don't think that Richie will come after Amanda."

"And if he does? Am I supposed to fight him to save Amanda?" Duncan turned his back to Joe, his Scotland brogue deepening as he spoke. "Do nae ask me to choose between them. I canna."

"Listen, guys," Methos said. "Let me talk to Richie. I won't tell him the whole truth unless I'm certain that he won't go after Amanda. How does that sound?"

Duncan spun around. "You? You must be kidding!"

"Didn't I ever tell you about my time in the diplomatic corps?" Methos looked at the three astonished faces staring at him. "What? Don't you believe me?" He didn't need to hear their answer. "Okay. Do any of you have a better idea?"

"Yes! Let it drop," Duncan insisted.

"No, Duncan," Amanda jumped in. "Let Methos try. I'm willing to accept the risk. It's my head. If Richie comes after me, it will be my fight not yours. I'm the one who killed his wife."

"Amanda..."

"No, Duncan. It's settled." She turned towards Methos. "Do you want me to go with you to talk to him?"

"No. I think it's better if I talk to him alone. I'll give you a call here or at the dojo when I see how well it goes." Methos grabbed his coat and headed out the door.

* HL * HL

Richie sat on the deck of Methos' apartment. It had a wonderful view of Soldier's Bridge which reminded him of the first time he had seen a Quickening. It seemed so unusual to have any spare time. Even after paying off Elspeth's debts, he had kept up a heavy work schedule, squirreling away money against future needs. He knew he was considered a loner at work, never going out with the guys for a beer or joining the bowling or baseball leagues. His pride refused to let them know he hadn't been able to afford to do those things.

Being back here, seeing Joe and Methos again, only reinforced the fact that his life was empty. He had no friends, male or female. No one to care whether he lived or died. Well, Joe might care, but Richie would just be another entry in the Watcher Chronicles.

Could he do what Joe asked? Make peace with MacLeod? if he did, could he come back home again?

He felt the touch of another Immortal. He almost headed inside for his sword but decided not to. If it wasn't Methos, maybe it would be someone who would put him out of his misery once and for all. He didn't even bother to turn around as he heard footsteps approach. He barely flinched when he felt the touch of cold steel to the back of his neck.

"That's a good way to get yourself killed," Methos said as he removed his sword.

"I know."

"So. It's come to this, has it? You want to commit suicide?"

Richie just shrugged his shoulders.

"I never would have taken you for a coward, Ryan. I guess I was wrong."

That sparked a small ember of anger within Richie. "I'm not a coward!"

"You're trying to take the easy way out. Go ahead. Give up. I don't care. Joe and MacLeod might, but they'll get over it eventually. Well, come on. Let's go someplace and I'll put you out of your misery. I don't want to ruin my place with a Quickening."

Richie was startled at hearing his own thoughts coming from Methos' mouth. "I... I... I don't know what I want anymore. Everything seems so difficult. My life sucks and just the thought of spending decades or centuries doing the same thing is so depressing, I just want to curl up and die. Mac told me once that becoming Immortal didn't change who I was. I thought he was wrong but I guess he wasn't. I'm still a no-account street punk with no future."

"I don't know many 'no-account street punks' - to quote your words - who would work as hard as you have to pay off someone else's debts. Your life is what *you* make it, Ryan," Methos said as he sat down in a chair next to the young Immortal. "If you don't like it, change it. Do something else. We have the time to do anything, be anything we want. What MacLeod meant was that it doesn't happen overnight. The day you became Immortal, you didn't start thinking or acting differently. You still had the same principals and personality as before. But that doesn't mean you can't change yourself. It just takes time. And I'm speaking from experience here."

"How have you changed?"

"You may find this hard to believe but I used to kill just because I was good at it and I liked it. Not dozens or even hundreds but thousands of people. I was death on horseback and all feared me. But I outgrew that. I began to see that killing was a waste. Until Kristen, I hadn't killed anyone in over two hundred years. Now, if I could change that much don't you think you can improve your life - even a little?"

Richie pondered Methos' words. Could he change his life? Maybe not this one, but he could move on again, start over. Make some friends... "Yeah. At least I want to try."

"Good. Then let's start here. Let's play what if."

"What if?" Richie looked puzzled.

"What if Elspeth challenged MacLeod? Would you have blamed him for taking her head?"

"Yes. He's so good, he shouldn't have had to kill her."

"Fair enough. What if she challenged someone who wasn't as good as MacLeod? Someone who felt that it was kill or be killed? Would you have sought revenge?"

"I don't know. That's a lot harder. I might have."

"Okay. If you found out today who killed Elspeth, and that she issued the challenge, what would you do? Oh, and it wasn't MacLeod, in case that changes your answer."

Richie stared at Methos. "You know what happened, don't you? Tell me!"

"First I need you to promise that you won't seek revenge. Elspeth has been dead for seven years now. Going after her killer won't accomplish anything. Will you give me your word on that?"

"What makes you think that I'll keep my word?"

"Because MacLeod thinks highly of you. If you were the kind of person who broke promises, he would have sent you on your way a long time ago."

Richie stood and started pacing back and forth across the deck. All he had to do was promise not to go after Elspeth's killer and he could find out the truth. It wasn't MacLeod - that's what Methos had said. Maybe they could try to repair their friendship.

"Okay. You have my word. I won't hunt down Elspeth's killer. So tell me what happened."

"Good. I know this isn't going to be easy for you to hear. Elspeth was hanging out at the dojo when Amanda arrived unexpectedly. Elspeth challenged her, they fought and Amanda won. Amanda had no way of knowing that she was your wife. If MacLeod had gotten home a few minutes earlier, he would have stopped it from happening. Instead, you found him moving the body and he took the blame to keep you from going after her."

"What?!" Richie stared at Methos in shock. "I don't believe you. How long did it take you guys to come up with that? Was Mac in on it or did you and Joe come up with this idea so that I would forgive Mac and everything would be fine and dandy again? Well, I'm not buying it."

"Listen, Ryan. It's the truth and we got it directly from Amanda herself. She admitted the whole thing and MacLeod backed up her story. You know him well enough to know that he wouldn't let a *woman* take the blame for something he did."

Once again Richie started pacing. He could feel the anger start to burn deep inside himself. Amanda killed Elspeth. And MacLeod knew all about it. The more he paced the angrier he got. Turning he headed into Methos' apartment.

"Where are you going?" Methos asked with a hint of panic in his voice.

Richie glared at him. "Where do you think?"

Methos grabbed the young Immortal by the arm. "You gave me your word!" He never saw Richie's other arm come up or the fist that headed for his face. One minute he was standing the next thing he knew, he was on the floor, watching Richie disappear out his front door. "Damn!" he muttered as he headed for his phone. "MacLeod is going to kill me for this."

* HL *

Duncan watched as Amanda puttered around the loft, unpacking suitcases and making room for her clothes next to his. They had stayed at the hospital until after Joe's test, which had come out fine. The doctor had insisted that Joe get some rest so they had left then. Ever since Methos' phone call, he had expected Richie to show up and challenge Amanda, but so far there had been no sign of the young Immortal.

Despite Amanda's assurances that it was her fight, Duncan could tell she was worried. There was no way that he would let her face Richie, even if it meant staying glued to her side. For a while, he had started thinking that everything would turn out okay. That he and Richie would resolve their differences and go back to being friends. Now he didn't think that would ever happen.

He felt the buzz and knew the time had come. He gave Amanda a kiss, told her to stay put, picked up his katana and went to face Richie. As the elevator slowly cranked its way down, he tried to psyche himself up for the upcoming encounter. Reaching the dojo, he lifted the elevator gate, katana tucked behind his arm in a non-aggressive hold. Maybe he could still reason with Richie.

As he left the elevator, he spotted Richie standing in the middle of the dojo floor. His coat had been removed and lay on the floor back by the doors. Richie's sword was clasped firmly in his hands, ready to do battle. For a moment, Duncan flashed back to the first time he had seen the young Immortal after the Dark Quickening. Richie's face had shown his anger and his hurt but this time, his face showed nothing.

Duncan stopped six feet away from Richie. "If you want Amanda, you're going to have to go through me," he declared.

"I don't want Amanda. I want you."

"Why? I didn't kill Elspeth! Methos said he told you everything."

"You should have told me the truth. Amanda was my friend too. I wouldn't have gone after her and you should have known that. I can't believe you didn't trust me."

"You were so angry... I couldn't risk it."

"The funny thing was, what hurt me the most was that *you* had killed Elspeth, not that she was dead."

"I'm sorry, Richie..."

"Sorry doesn't cut it. You know, during all those police interrogations I had to go through, I almost told them that you killed Elspeth. I knew I wasn't good enough to challenge you but I kept thinking that you should pay for what you did. That's actually one of the reasons I left. I couldn't believe that I was thinking of turning on one of my *friends*." Richie's lips curled into a sneer. "But you turned on me, didn't you? You saved Amanda but you didn't care about me. Why didn't you just take my head and get it over with?"

"I couldn't do that, Richie. I don't want to hurt you..."

"Well, that's too bad, because I want to hurt you." With that, Richie moved forward and attacked.

Duncan swung his katana up. He didn't attempt to attack, just settled into a defensive posture. He decided to wait until Richie tired, then he would disarm him and make him listen to reason. Even as he blocked Richie's blows, he analyzed Richie's skill and he realized that the young Immortal had improved dramatically. Richie was forcing him back and he knew that he would have to do more than just defend himself.

The fight became more intense, each swordsman inflicting small wounds on the other. Duncan could feel himself tiring, the sleepless night and the worry over Joe and Richie starting to tell, but Richie showed no signs of letting up, even though he was breathing hard. With deep regret, Duncan increased his attack, knowing that he might have to inflict a mortal wound to stop this fight. Richie's defense kicked up a level - although his offense eased off - to meet Duncan's challenge and the Highlander couldn't find an opening.

Amanda had come down the stairs when she heard the sounds of the battle. At first she had been stunned at the sight of the two of them fighting but as the battle escalated, she knew she had to do something before one of them killed the other. "STOP IT! STOP IT, BOTH OF YOU!" she yelled.

Duncan spared a quick glance to make sure Amanda was out of harm's way. It was all the opening that Richie needed. With lightening precision, he executed a move Duncan had never seen before. While a part of his brain admired the stroke, the other part knew he couldn't parry it. He felt Richie's sword bury itself in his abdomen and he crashed to his knees in agony as the sword twisted in his gut before it was yanked out. A quick follow up move robbed him of his sword and he felt the cold touch of steel on his neck.

"A little different than the last time we fought in here, isn't it?" Richie said as he slowly moved from one side of Duncan to the other, his sword trailing along the Highlander's neck.

"Please, Richie! You don't want to do this," Amanda pleaded as she moved closer. "If you want someone's head, take mine. I'm the one who killed your wife."

"That's not what this is about anymore. It's about truth. And trust. All those years, I thought you were my friend. But it's pretty obvious that I'm low man on the totem pole here. You protected Amanda even though you had to know it would hurt me. But you didn't care, did you?"

Duncan tried to say something but the burning pain filled his body and he felt life start to drain out of him. At least he wouldn't feel the killing stroke was his last thought before he died.

Amanda watched as Duncan's lifeless body dropped to the dojo floor and Richie took a step back, preparing to take the Highlander's head. She ran across the floor and stopped just short of Duncan's body, holding her hands out in entreaty. "Richard! Please don't do this. You're wrong. It was his love for you that kept him from telling you the truth." She noticed a slight look of puzzlement creep into his eyes so she plunged on. "Yes, he was afraid that you would come after me. Not just because he was afraid that I would die, but he would have felt obligated to kill you if you killed me. He has never wanted to fight you. Don't you see?"

Richie took a step back and then another, confusion plainly written across his face now.

Amanda pressed her point. "I'm sure if you think about it, you'll remember how many times Duncan has tried to protect you from harm. He always protects those he loves. But this time, he was caught between two of us - the woman he loved and the young man he loved as a son. The only way he thought he could keep both of us alive was to take the blame. And he's punished himself for it ever since. Just this afternoon, he begged Joe and Methos to let this drop because he couldn't choose between the two of us. How can you take the head of a man that loves you like that?"

Richie's face filled with horror as he stared at Duncan's lifeless body, then at Amanda. After several long tense moments, while Amanda held her breath, he gave a small sob. Turning, he ran from the dojo, pausing briefly at the door to pick up his coat.

"Richie, wait!" Amanda called after him but the young Immortal kept going. With a sigh of regret, she knelt down by Duncan and cradled his head in her arms and waited for him to revive.

Fifteen minutes later, Duncan gave a convulsive jerk in her arms and gulped in his first breath of air. "It's all right," she soothed him as he searched instinctively for his sword before his eyes even opened.

Duncan jerked upright and searched the dojo for the enemy but he and Amanda were alone. "What...," he paused as the events leading to his death crashed into his mind. "Where's Richie?"

"He left. I'm sorry, Duncan. I tried to stop him from leaving."

"I know you did, Amanda. I can't believe he didn't take my head and yours too."

"Richie is just a little confused right now. I'm sure once he's had a chance to calm down and think about this, everything will be fine."

"Have you warned Methos? Richie may go back there."

Amanda shook her head.

Duncan rose to his feet, staggering a little as the pain from his wounds reminded him that he hadn't fully healed yet. He went into the dojo office and dialed Methos' number on the vid-phone. On the second ring, Methos' face came on the monitor.

The usually calm face turned concerned when Methos took in Duncan's blood-stained clothes. "What happened? Is Amanda all right?"

"Amanda is fine. Richie didn't want her head, just mine."

"So he's..." The expression on Methos' face turned to compassion.

"He's still alive. He might be on his way back to your place. Richie is on the edge, Methos. He might do anything. I just wanted to warn you."

"He tried to take your head and you let him live?! MacLeod, when are you ever going to learn..."

"I didn't have much say in the matter. I was dead at the time," Duncan replied sarcastically.

"All right. I'll handle it if he shows up here."

"No!" Duncan almost shouted. "I don't want you to *handle* it. I still think we can work this out."

"MacLeod..." Methos gave a sigh and then shook his head. "Very well. But if he comes after me, all bets are off. You might be willing to lose your head to him, but I'm not."

Duncan wanted to protest but he knew he couldn't. "I... I understand," he said before hanging up.

* HL *

Early the next morning, Duncan debated calling Methos again. It worried him that he hadn't heard from the ancient Immortal all night. He and Amanda had stayed up for a long time last night arguing about what to do. He wanted her to leave town for a while, she wanted to stay and settle everything with Richie. He'd finally agreed after she promised to stay close by.

They exchanged glances as they felt the touch of another Immortal and both reached for their swords. A few seconds later, a knock came at the door and Duncan cautiously opened it.

"Expecting someone?" Methos asked as he glanced at the katana in Duncan's hand.

"Methos," Duncan growled as he stood aside to let the other Immortal in. "You know exactly who I'm expecting. Did Richie come back to your place last night?"

"Nope. I stayed up all night expecting him but he never showed."

"He probably ran away again. Who knows how long it will be before he comes back this time." Duncan sat down on the couch, feeling defeated. "Unless Joe put a Watcher on him..." He looked up at Methos hopefully.

"Sorry, no Watcher. Joe promised."

"So we have no way of finding him again."

"Not exactly," Methos smirked. "I just happened to write his license plate down. I've already got the name he's using right now and his current address. Give me a few more hours and I'll have his social security number, work history, and any credit cards that he might have."

"Methos... How can I thank you?"

"I'm sure I'll think of something. But there is something you should know. Richie may be suicidal. When we talked yesterday, he told me that his life was depressing and empty. I thought I talked him out of it but..." Methos shrugged his shoulders. "That might be why he didn't come back to my place last night. He might have been searching for another Immortal to take his head."

"Why didn't you tell me this last night?" Duncan demanded.

"So you could do what? Spend the whole night scouring the town for him? If he really wants to get himself killed, there's nothing that you can do to stop it."

"I can talk to him..."

"You can talk until you're blue in the face. That doesn't mean he'll listen to anything you'll say."

"Maybe. But I still have to try," Duncan insisted.

Methos sighed. "Why do I even bother..." He shook his head. "Let's go see if we can find him."

"We can cover more ground if we split up. I'll drop Amanda off at the hospital first. She should be safe with Joe."

"Wait a minute," Amanda said. "Don't I get a say in this? If all three of us search, we'll have a better chance of finding him." She went over to Duncan and started running her hand up and down his chest. "Please, Duncan. Let me help," she murmured as she pressed up against him.

"Amanda..."

"If he wanted my head, he could have taken it last night," One hand moved up and a finger started circling around his ear and down his chin, while the other one toyed with the buttons on his shirt. "You said that he came for you not for me. I'll be safe."

Methos made a rude noise as he watched Duncan give in.

"All right, Amanda. But if you see him, don't go near him. Call me or Methos and let us handle it."

"Whatever you say, Duncan."

The Highlander just shook his head and fetched a city map so that they could set up a search pattern.

* HL * HL

Richie ran from the dojo, trying desperately not to think, wanting only to get away. He jumped on his bike, revved it up and sped down the street. Without conscious thought, he steered the bike through the dark streets and ended up at the place in Seacouver that brought back the happiest memories.

The store was deserted now, the boarded up windows a far cry from the place he remembered. He worked his way around the building until he found a spot where he could break in and soon stood in the middle of what used to be Tessa's workshop.

He could almost picture her here, slaving away over a piece of metal, trying to mold it into the shape she wanted. Just as she had tried to mold him into the person she thought he could be.

"Tessa," he murmured. "Why did you have to die, just when I needed you the most?"

He wandered through the rest of the building, but most of it had either been gutted or changed beyond recognition. Only the workshop remained the same and he was drawn back to it.

He was so tired, the earlier driving anger now gone. The anger that had sent him after his friend and teacher. Years ago, he had told MacLeod that he could never take his head and yet he had come so close to it tonight. If Amanda hadn't been there...

He felt a few tears start to trickle down his face and he ruthlessly brushed them aside. He wasn't going to indulge in a pity party. But despite his best efforts, he couldn't seem to stop. More tears fell and soon he found himself sobbing uncontrollably. The harder he tried to control it, the worse it got as his body was wracked from head to toe with the spasms. His harsh cries echoed through the empty room and he jammed his fist to his mouth trying to stifle them.

He had no idea how long he cried or, for that matter, what he was crying about. He only knew he couldn't stop. When it was finally over, he felt completely drained and incapable of moving. Instead he curled up on the cold cement floor and let his eyes drift shut...

Richie jerked awake, momentarily confused by his surroundings. A quick check of his watch showed that it was still very early but he felt curiously refreshed and clear headed. With a start, he realized that he knew exactly what had to be done. Why it had taken so long to see it was beyond him. He rose to his feet and headed for the door leading to the alley and his bike. He paused at the threshold and looked back into the workshop.

"Thanks, Tessa," he said before leaving.

A short time later, Richie parked his bike outside the dojo and headed inside. As he entered the dojo, he heard the elevator creaking down and waited to see who was on it. Seconds later, the grate opened and Duncan, Methos, and Amanda exited the elevator. He swallowed nervously, not sure whether he was ready to face all three of the them at the same time but then decided that it would be better to get it over with all at once.

"I've come to tell you I'm... I'm sorry. I... If you want it, you can have my head. I... I won't try to stop you." Richie kept his head high even though his knees were quaking and his stomach was churning. If he had to die, it would be with some semblance of dignity. It wasn't that he wanted to die, but it was the least he could do after he tried to kill the best friend he had ever had.

"You have nothing to apologize for." Duncan stepped forward. "You were right last night. I should have trusted you enough to tell you the truth. If anyone should be offering up their head, it should be me."

"Oh, brother," Methos exclaimed. "Amanda, why don't you take Richie's head and I'll take MacLeod's and then maybe they'll both be happy."

Duncan's head spun around to glower at Methos. "Keep out of this!" he growled.

"If you insist." Methos sauntered over and sat down on a bench along the wall. "Go ahead. Let the beheadings begin."

This time it was Amanda who scowled at Methos. "There isn't going to be a beheading today. Nobody in this room wants to see any of the others lose their head - well... except, maybe, with one notable exception." She threw another glare at Methos. "Why don't we go back upstairs and have a nice breakfast and put this all behind us."

"No," Richie said. He held up his hand when he saw the shocked looks cross the other three Immortals' faces. "I mean, I have something more to say before we try to forget this. I told you that you should have trusted me but now I realize that I should have trusted you, too. It was a two way street. I knew you long before I knew Elsie and I shouldn't have listened to her... lies. And known that you wouldn't have killed her - at least without a good reason." Richie kept his eyes glued to a spot on the floor halfway between him and Duncan. When no answer came, he finally lifted his eyes to Duncan's face and saw a look there that he had a hard time understanding. It almost looked like Duncan was proud of him or something.

"You've grown up," Duncan said.

Richie shrugged his shoulders. "Had to sometime."

Amanda watched as the two of them stared at each other across the dojo floor. When it looked like neither of them was going to make the first move, she gave a sigh of exasperation. She quickly crossed to stand in front of Richie. "I *am* sorry, Richie. I never meant to cause you any pain. If I had only known... Will you forgive me?"

"It wasn't your fault, Amanda. Elsie challenged you - you had to fight."

Amanda put her arms around the young Immortal and gave him a quick hug followed by a kiss on the cheek. "Welcome home, Richie."

Before he had a chance to react to Amanda's actions, Duncan came over to them. "Yes, welcome home, Richie." He held his hand out and Richie clasped it tightly.

"Listen, guys," Methos said. "Before this turns into a group hug or something, I suggest we go get breakfast. We can swing by my place and let Richie have a chance to get cleaned up and after breakfast, we can go to the hospital and let Joe know that he can stop worrying."

"Am I still welcome?" Richie asked Methos.

"As long as you promise not to deck me again."

"You decked him?" Amanda looked at Richie in amazement while pointing to Methos. "Could you, like, demonstrate that for me?"

"Very funny, Amanda. Let's go." Methos led the way out of the dojo.

* HL * HL

Duncan watched as Richie weaved his way through the tables, headed for the restroom. He gave a sigh and scrubbed at his face with his hands. This wasn't going well. The breakfast had been filled with awkward silences and strained conversation. Duncan wanted to know everything about what Richie had been doing for the last seven years but he couldn't think of any way to ask the questions without it sounding like an interrogation.

"Give him time, MacLeod. This isn't easy for him either," Methos said.

"It's just that he's changed so much," Duncan complained. "It's like he's a stranger."

"It's been seven years. For him, that's been an eternity - almost a fourth of his life. For us, it's a drop in the bucket. And he's probably still feeling guilty about trying to take your head last night. He'll come around."

"I have an idea," Amanda said. "Isn't it Richie's birthday soon?"

Duncan glanced at the date on his watch and nodded. "Tomorrow!"

"Maybe we should have a birthday party for him. Hopefully, Joe will be out of the hospital by then. What better way to show him we care. How old is he going to be anyway?"

Duncan did some quick math. "He's going to be 30 this year! It doesn't seem possible."

"That settles it then, we have to have one," Amanda declared.

"That's a great idea. We can have it at my place," Methos offered.

Amanda offered to get the cake just before Duncan shushed her up. "He's coming back," he warned.

Once Richie had sat back down, Methos leaned forward. "Why did you come back to the dojo this morning, Richie? Why didn't you just run away like you did seven years ago?"

Richie looked at Methos with startled eyes before staring down at the plate in front of him. His fingers fidgeted with the silverware on the table while everyone waited for an answer.

Finally, Duncan couldn't stand it anymore. "You don't have to answer, Rich. Just tell him to mind his own business. I do - all the time."

That brought a faint smile to Richie's lips. "I... It's... I... I didn't want to be alone anymore," he finally blurted out.

Amanda's hand reached over to cover Richie's. "You're not alone."

Duncan just nodded.

"Speaking of alone," Methos rose to his feet. "why don't we go see Joe?"

A short time later, Methos led the group into Joe's room.

Joe looked at the four Immortals standing in front of him with a shocked look on his face. "Does this mean...?"

Richie nodded. "Everything's cool, Joe."

"Well, that's the second best piece of news I've heard so far today."

"Second best?" Duncan asked with a frown.

"Yeah. They're letting me out of here as soon as the paperwork is done." Joe beamed.

Once the noise died down, Joe turned to Richie. "Does this mean you're moving back to Seacouver, Richie?"

Richie shook his head. "I don't think so. In fact I'll probably leave tomorrow. I have a life back there and, well, it might not seem like much to you, but it's all I've got."

"I could get you a job," Duncan offered quickly. "I run a publishing company now."

Richie laughed at that. "As what? A delivery boy? A mail room clerk? What would I know about publishing? No, I think it's better this way."

"But you will stay in touch, won't you?" Joe asked.

"Sure. That's what phones are for. Maybe... maybe I can come back out here for Thanksgiving. If you want to get together."

"Of course, Richie. That sounds like a great idea," Duncan insisted while trying to hide his disappointment over Richie leaving. "But can't you stay for a few more days?"

"I should probably get back before my boss fires me," Richie insisted.

Duncan exchanged glances with Methos and Amanda. "No. I wouldn't want you to lose your job. But we would like to throw you a party to celebrate your..."

"You're coming home again," Amanda interrupted. "How does that sound?"

"A party?" A smile crossed Richie's face. "At Joe's?"

"Why don't we start at my place. I could get some beer and order some pizzas," Methos suggested. "Then we can go to Joe's later."

"Sounds like fun," Richie agreed, even as he wondered if he still knew how to have fun.

Once the nurse came in with Joe's discharge papers, they all scurried around gathering up Joe's personal items. Duncan commandeered the wheelchair, insisting on pushing it himself. Methos went ahead and brought his car around to pick up Joe and he led the caravan to Joe's house, filling Joe in and working out a strategy to keep Richie from finding out the real reason for the party.

When Duncan pulled the T-bird up in front of Joe's house, he noticed that Richie was no longer behind him. He sent Amanda inside to help Joe get settled and waited for the young Immortal to appear. It took almost five minutes before he spotted Richie's motorcycle coming.

"Stupid piece of junk," Richie muttered as he pulled off his helmet.

"Is there something wrong with your bike?" Duncan asked.

"Yeah. It needs a new throttle control but I can't find one to fit this bike. I guess it's too old."

"Will you be able to get home with it?" Duncan asked with a frown.

"I think so. I'm getting pretty good at doing a repair job but it never lasts for long."

"I know a place here in town that carries a lot of parts for older bikes and cars. It's where I find replacements for the T-bird. You can give them a call and see if they have what you need," Duncan suggested as they heading inside.

"Thanks, Mac," Richie replied with a grateful smile. "It would be great if they did have a replacement piece."

Despite repeated tries, the phone was never answered. In the meantime, Duncan and Amanda left, claiming to have an appointment that they couldn't miss. Later in the day, Methos went out for a while, stating that he wanted to get the beer bought and in the refrigerator so it would be cold by dinner time.

Duncan and Amanda's first stop was at the mall. Amanda went to buy her gifts. She also picked out Joe's gift, having discussed it with the Watcher before they had left his house. Duncan went to buy party decorations. He got back to Amanda, just in time to provide his charge card to pay for the items she had picked out. A quick stop at the gift wrap department and then they were off to a bakery to pick up the cake. Duncan then dropped Amanda off at Methos' place to put up the decorations while he went shopping for his own gifts.

Methos picked up the beer and did his own shopping before going home to supervise the decorating. Joe's assignment was to keep Richie occupied and out of the way. Since the young man spent the majority of the day trying to fix his bike, it wasn't too difficult.

When everything was ready, Duncan came to pick up Joe. Richie followed them back on his bike. Duncan and Joe hurried inside so they could be in position to see Richie's face when he saw the decorations and cake.

Richie walked into Methos' house, still muttering curses about his motorcycle. When four voices yelled "Happy Birthday", it took him a moment to realize they were all looking at him.

Amanda walked over to Richie with a party hat in hand. "Here, Richie, this one is for you."

"Oh no, no party hats. No way, Jose." Amanda kept advancing. "I'm warning you... I have a sword and I know how to use it..." Richie started backing up until he was up against the front door. "Amanda!"

"Please, Richard," Amanda crooned. "Won't you wear this for me?" The last part was whispered in his ear as her free hand lightly trailed up his arm.

"Give in, Richie," Methos suggested. "We all did."

"Oh, man," Richie muttered before he let Amanda put the hat on him. "But if I see a camera, I'm outta here."

Amanda took Richie's hand and led him over to the table. "What do you want to do first... eat or open packages."

Richie's eyes flitted between the stack of packages and the pizza boxes while he tried to make up his mind. "Both!" he finally announced with a big grin.

Duncan laughed. "Maybe we should eat while the pizza's still hot. Then you can check out all your loot."

"Okay. If you insist. But I still think I could do both at the same time. I can't believe you guys did this!"

Amanda handed Richie a plate and he grabbed a slice of pizza before sliding into a chair at the table. He bit into the gooey food and closed his eyes as he savored the first bite. Pizza had been one of those items that he had given up to save money. Now he was in cholesterol heaven.

Richie's eyes snapped open. "Joe! Can you eat pizza? I mean you just had a heart attack. Why didn't one of you guys think of that?" He glared at the other Immortals.

"Relax, Richie," Joe smiled. "They had a medical breakthrough about four years ago. With their new techniques, my heart is just like a teenager's again. I can eat anything or do anything I want without a problem. But thanks for worrying about me."

Relieved, Richie concentrated on enjoying his meal and soon everyone else had joined him in eating the pizza and drinking beer.

Duncan found himself constantly watching Richie's face and the smile that filled it. Not the half-hearted smiles that he had been showing all day, but a genuine smile that made you want to smile too. For the first time, he truly felt that Richie could put this whole mess behind him.

At one point when Richie's attention was focused on something Joe was saying, Methos leaned over to whisper something in Duncan's ear. "Will you take that silly grin off your face? It's almost nauseating. You'd think you were the boy's father or something."

Duncan just ignored the comment. After all, he'd seen a silly grin on the ancient Immortal's face several times tonight whenever his cynical mask had dropped for a few moments.

"Gift time!" Amanda cried out as Richie finished stuffing the last piece of pizza in his mouth. She selected one of the brightly wrapped packages and handed it to Richie. "This is from Joe."

Richie turned puzzled eyes to Joe. "When did you manage to go shopping? I was at your place all day."

"I shopped by remote control. Open it and let's see what I bought you."

Richie gave a small laugh and quickly tore the paper off. Opening the box, he discovered two pairs of jeans and two pairs of slacks. "Thanks, Joe. I guess I can really use these."

"This is from me." Methos handed a large box to Richie.

Inside Richie discovered a leather jacket. "Th-thanks, Methos," he stammered as he saw the expensive coat.

"Try it on and see if it fits," Methos suggested.

Richie quickly modeled the jacket. It was a perfect fit.

Amanda handed her package over and Richie opened it to find two shirts and two sweaters. "What? Does everyone think I need new clothes or something?"

"Well, Rich," Duncan said with a smile. "Based on what you're wearing, I'd say the answer was yes."

Richie looked down at his thread-bare clothes and blushed lightly. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He managed a small grin. "Now I won't have to buy any new things... oh, for about seven more years."

Amanda picked out a pair of slacks, a shirt and a sweater and ordered Richie to go change his clothes. "We can't have you looking shabby for your birthday party." When he returned, she checked him over carefully. "Yes, I think you'll do nicely."

"Here's the first of my presents." Duncan pulled a small flat box from his pocket and handed it to Richie.

"Well, if this is something to wear, I'm not modeling it." Richie grinned as he took the tiny box. Inside he discovered a key card. "What's this for?"

"C'mon. I'll show you." Duncan lead the way outside and pointed to a new sports utility vehicle parked on the street. "It's all yours, Rich. I didn't want you to have trouble getting home on that bike of yours. I also arranged for a trailer rental so that you can haul your bike home."

Richie stood there looking at the car in shock. "I... I can't accept this... It's too expensive..." He tried to give the key card back.

A hurt expression crossed Duncan's face. "It's yours now, Rich. Besides, I had seven years of birthdays and Christmases to make up for."

"Thanks, Mac. Oh, man... my insurance premium is gonna triple!"

From the look on Duncan's face, he hadn't thought of that. "We could go pick out something smaller if you'd like... Or maybe a used car..."

"No... I've always wanted one of these. I can handle it. And I'll be the envy of the factory!" Richie announced with a grin. "I'm glad," Duncan said simply. "Time for your second present."

They all went inside and Duncan retrieved a box from the coat closet next to the front door. He gingerly carried the box into the living room and gave it to Richie.

Watching the way Duncan handled the box made Richie nervous. "You act like it's gonna bite or something."

Duncan chuckled. "It just might at that."

Intrigued, Richie cautiously opened the box and looked inside. He felt his mouth drop open as he stared at the gift.

"What is it?" Amanda asked impatiently.

Richie reached into the box and extracted a golden bundle of fur. "It's a puppy," he managed to choke out.

"A golden retriever. You told us this morning that you were tired of being alone. Well, this isn't the same as having friends around but maybe you won't feel so lonely now," Duncan explained. "I also got you everything you need to raise a dog. It's in the car."

Richie cradled the small creature against his chest. "I don't know what to say."

"Just say thank you," Joe prompted with a smile.

"Thank you." The puppy crawled up Richie's chest and swiped at his face with its tongue, causing Richie to laugh. "Does he have a name?"

"It's a she and no, you'll have to name her. Any ideas?"

Richie shook his head then remembered the previous night. "Do you... Could I... call her Tessa? Do you think she'd mind?"

"No, I don't think she'd mind at all, Rich."

Richie looked up at Duncan standing before him. He set the puppy down and rose to his feet. "Thanks, Mac." Richie stuck out his hand.

Duncan reached out to take Richie's hand but instead of shaking it, he changed his mind. "C'mere, tough guy," Duncan growled and pulled Richie into a bear hug.

They clung together for several long moments until Methos' voice intruded. "Excuse me, guys, but I think one of you needs to do some cleanup here."

Richie looked at what Methos was pointing at. A small puddle had appeared on the hardwood floor and it didn't take much guesswork to figure out what was responsible. "Sorry, Methos." Richie fetched some paper towels from the kitchen and wiped up the floor.

"Remind me to send you the bills for any damage done, MacLeod. Unless, of course, you'd like to keep that *thing* at your place tonight."

"She's not a thing," Amanda protested as she picked her up. "She's so cute... Duncan... do you think..."

"NO!"

"But..."

"Absolutely not!"

"I'd take care of..."

"No! And that's final. We are *not* getting a dog!"

Everyone grinned at their argument. Richie wondered whether Duncan would come home some day and find a four-legged creature wandering around the dojo. And knowing Amanda it would be something like a poodle. Richie had no trouble picturing Duncan's face if that happened.

"Why don't we take this party down to the bar," Joe suggested.

Everyone agreed.

* HL *

The next day, Duncan showed up at Methos' house to pick up Richie. They had arranged to have a final going away lunch with just the two of them.

"He's not back yet," Methos explained.

"Where'd he go?"

"He decided to drive over to that parts store you told him about. He could never get an answer on the phone. But he's been gone almost two hours now. He should have been back by now."

Another hour went by and still no Richie. Duncan started to get worried. "You don't think that..." Surely fate wouldn't be so cruel to bring Richie back into his life only to yank him away permanently.

"It's hard to say," Methos shrugged his shoulders. Just then they both sensed another Immortal.

Richie burst through the front door, his clothes disheveled and dirty.

"What happened?" Duncan asked, a hint of panic in his voice.

"Oh, Mac, I'm sorry. I totally forgot about our lunch date. Say, do you know a good lawyer?"

"A lawyer? What's wrong?" Duncan asked sharply.

"Nothing's wrong. And I meant a business lawyer. I need someone to take a look at a contract before I sign it."

"What kind of contract?" Duncan was getting frustrated at the lack of answers coming from Richie.

"I went over to that parts store that you told me about and the reason nobody answered the phone is that the owner passed away last week. I met his widow and she opened the store just for me. As it turns out, she's going to have to sell the place and that means selling the home that she's lived in for the past forty years. By the way, she makes great apple pie and she *loves* dogs. Anyway, I checked it out and I think I could handle it. I've got some money set aside that I could use for a down payment and she's willing to let me buy on contract as long as she can still live there. She doesn't have any family at all and she was real worried about where she was going to go." Richie paused to take a deep breath.

"Let me get this straight. You want to buy a business here in town?"

Richie nodded. "And the place has a small apartment attached to it. It's not very big - maybe half the size of your loft. But there's a kitchen already there and there's an attic where I can set up an exercise room. Did I tell you she makes a great apple pie? Oh, and she *loves* dogs. She's willing to continue helping out in the store plus there's all the equipment necessary to do car and bike repairs too."

"What about your job?" Methos asked.

"I can quit that. Do you mind if I stay here a few more days while we iron out the details? I really think I can make this work."

Duncan and Methos had to smile at Richie's enthusiasm. "Sure, you can stay here as long as you need," Methos offered.

"I assume you'll give your friends discounts?" Duncan asked.

"Ha! I expect that junk heap of yours to keep me in the clear! Let me go change clothes and we can go get something to eat and I'll tell you all about it." Richie headed for the bedroom he'd been using but stopped before he got there. "Did I tell you she makes great apple pie and she *loves* dogs?"

"Yes, Richie, you did." Duncan waved him on with a smile. He and Methos exchanged a look before starting to laugh.

"I'm too old for this!" Methos finally said.

"I'm not," Duncan assured him before settling back and waiting for Richie. The next few years could be very interesting.

The end.

Author's note:

The story of the diamond cut gold bracelet was Before The Darkness

Richie's first encounter with a Golden Retriever is in Richie's Best Friend. I deliberately made no reference to Sam in this story as the epilogue to that story contradicts this story.


End file.
